François Gaudard is an Egyptologist and research associate at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, specializing in the various stages of evolution of the ancient Egyptian language, in particular Coptic and Demotic. He works as a researcher for the Chicago Demotic Dictionary and for the Epigraphic Survey, based at Chicago House, the field headquarters of the Oriental Institute in Egypt. He is currently preparing an edition of an ancient Egyptian drama for publication. The work, unique of its kind, is the most complete Demotic version of the conflict between the gods Horus and Seth. Gaudard has taught Egyptology at the undergraduate and graduate level. He is a member of the American Research Center in Egypt, the American Society of Papyrologists, the Association Internationale des Papyrologues and the International Association for Coptic Studies. Gaudard received his M.A. and his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (Egyptology, Coptology) from the University of Chicago, graduating with honors. He also holds a Licence ès lettres (Egyptology, Ancient Greek, Coptology) from the University of Geneva (Département des Sciences de l'Antiquité), where he studied papyrology and Sanskrit.

"Just as if Manetho's "Aegyptiaca" or the second book of Aristotle's "Poetics" reappeared, the simple fact that such a significant text as "The Gospel of Judas," believed to be lost forever, comes back to light, constitutes in itself an absolutely exceptional event. But in the present case, the impact of such a discovery takes on particular importance, since, through the rehabilitation of Judas, by presenting him as the closest disciple of Christ and as the one he chose to "betray" him in order to fulfill God's will, this text not only seriously challenges one of the most firmly rooted believes in Christian tradition, but also reduces one of the favorite themes of anti-Semitism to nothing."